Grand Rapids Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

Michigan’s workers’ compensation system exists to pay vital benefits when workers are hurt or fall ill because of their job. While that should give you peace of mind, experience shows that successfully recovering workers’ compensation benefits can be challenging. Whether or not an employer or insurance company wants to pay the benefits owed is a different question entirely.

When you suffer an injury on the job and are unable to continue with your hard work, the last thing you need is to fight employers and insurance companies to get your mounting medical bills paid and your lost wages reimbursed.

At Goodman Acker in Grand Rapids, MI, we understand the stress placed on injured workers and their families when a workers’ compensation claim is denied. Qualifying for and receiving workers’ comp benefits can be complicated. It requires a lot of determination to establish proper documentation, fill out the required paperwork, and a lot of patience if you must go to court to fight for the benefits you deserve.

The Grand Rapids workers’ compensation attorneys at Goodman Acker have the legal, and vocational resources to challenge the denial of your workers’ compensation claim in Michigan. Our legal team understands how to take on insurers and win.

With decades of experience and numerous trials in the workers’ compensation arena, you can trust our team to represent you in pursuing the benefits you deserve.

Why Choose Us?

Our Grand Rapids Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Work for You

Many Michigan workers’ compensation law firms are vying for your attention. But what separates the semi-skilled from the great? Where should you turn to for an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer in Grand Rapids, MI?

The skilled and experienced Grand Rapids workers’ compensation lawyers at Goodman Acker P.C. fight hard to ensure that Michigan workers can support themselves and their families after a work-related injury or illness. Here are a few reasons to choose Goodman Acker P.C. to represent your workers’ compensation case:

Experienced Lawyers Working for Workers’ Rights

With over 150 collective years of experience, Goodman Acker has been helping injured workers and their loved ones in Grand Rapids and throughout the state of Michigan win maximum benefits for workplace and occupational injuries. Our clients have so much to say about how we helped them with their personal injury cases.

Real Results for Michigan Workers and Their Loved Ones

At Goodman Acker, we understand that when injured workers or their families choose us, they want results.

Our legal team, which is made up of experts in different areas, serves injured and disabled clients in the Tri-County area and throughout Michigan and has achieved numerous million-dollar verdicts and settlements.

If you were injured, count on our legal team to provide top-notch legal counsel and work tirelessly to obtain maximum dollar recovery on your behalf. We are honest, ethical, and experienced lawyers dedicated to servicing personal injury victims.

The achievements of our team have earned us numerous firm and individual credentials, including:

• Top 100 Trial Lawyers
• Inclusion on the Super Lawyers® list
• AV® Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®.

Free and Confidential Initial Consultations

Injured workers in Grand Rapids don’t have to wait to get the legal help they need when pursuing workers’ compensation benefits. Goodman Acker offers a free, confidential, no-obligation initial consultation.

No-nonsense Litigation

Goodman Acker has built a reputation for aggressive negotiation and litigation skills. Every worker’s compensation case is put together as if it were going to court, and negotiations are done in the same way. Given our 99% record of success and relentless pursuit of fair compensation for our clients, the other side knows it’s in for a fight.

Basics of Worker’s Compensation

All 50 states and the federal government (for federal workers) administer workers’ compensation programs. The specific details and levels of compensation and medical benefits will vary depending on the state. Workers’ compensation is one component of the system of social insurance in the United States. Under workers’ comp laws, employers agree to purchase insurance against worker injuries for certain protections from civil suits.

In addition to payouts for medical expenses, lost wages, and rehab for injured employees, workers’ comp systems also provide survivor benefits to families of employees who die in the course of their official job duties. Compensation will vary depending on the state.

What to Do If You Are Injured at Work

It is probably self-evident, but you should first think about yourself if you are injured or become ill at work. Honestly assess your condition and get the medical help you need, when you need it. Your employer may have on-site medical help, or you may have to visit your doctor, an urgent care center, or the emergency room. You can address issues regarding a workers’ compensation claim once you are feeling better.

Once everything is stable, then you next have to make sure you report the injury or illness to your employer. You should put them on notice of an incident as soon as reasonably possible once you are aware that something is wrong. If you do not, you can put your workers’ compensation claim in jeopardy. To help solidify your claim, when you feel up to it, it makes sense to document what happened by writing it down. Get contact information if there were witnesses in case you need to further establish the facts of your situation.

Upon receiving notice of the injury or illness, under Michigan law, the employer may send you to a doctor or treatment facility of their choosing, but for the first 28 days of care of the injury only. After those 28 days, you can choose your own provider, as long as you notify your employer.

Notice of the incident triggers certain responsibilities for the employer, which must file form 100, known as “Employer’s Basic Report of Injury” with the Michigan Workers Compensation Agency. The employer is, in most instances, also obligated to notify its insurer of a medical claim and share the name of its insurance company with your treating physician or physicians. The Workers’ Compensation Agency will advise you on what to do if your employer refuses to report the injury.

The claim then proceeds through the adjudication phase, and it is here where you may need the services of personal injury attorneys such as those at Goodman Acker.

Importance of a Workers’ Comp Lawyer

Obtaining excellent counsel from Goodman Acker attorneys can help your workers’ comp claim make its way through the system more quickly with less friction. Our attorneys can help you gather the medical reports and other evidence you need for a successful claim.

This could involve more than just gathering paperwork. If the claim has been denied, our attorneys can help advise you in the best way to seek second opinions that may be useful in an appeal. Attorneys will also stand by your side if the case calls for depositions to be taken of you, other witnesses, or expert witnesses who have offered their medical opinions.

Having the attorney involved from the onset of any proceedings can be important in resolving the case before any judgment. Our attorneys understand the system’s ins and outs and can engage in negotiations with insurance company attorneys and the state to find a fair and equitable settlement.

An experienced workers’ comp attorney will have the context of other cases to compare as they pursue settlement discussions. They will emphasize the nature of your injuries, and how it is causing impairment, explain various medical expenses, and provide evidence about what you will have to spend going forward. They will also understand how to value lost wages, and present that information to the WCA or the court.

Benefits Michigan Workers’ Compensation Attorneys May Recover

Your Grand Rapids workers’ compensation lawyer from Goodman Acker should be able to deal with your employer while you recover and also fight for you when insurance companies dispute or deny your claim. Essentially, our team may recover all the workers’ compensation benefits you are owed through the Michigan workers’ comp insurance program, including:

• Medical treatment costs
• Disability pays
• Vocational training.

Our Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Answer Your FAQs

Do you still have more questions for our Grand Rapids workers’ comp attorneys? We’re ready to educate you about your legal rights.

Do I Qualify for Workers’ Compensation?

In Michigan, whether or not you are eligible for workers’ compensation depends on whether or not the injury you got at work was work-related and whether or not you can go back to the work you are qualified to do. Our Michigan workers’ comp lawyers will be happy to go over what is required of you.

How Much Does a Grand Rapids Workers’ Comp Attorney Cost? 

Our Grand Rapids workers’ comp attorneys offer confidential consultations and work on a contingency fee basis. In simple terms, we only charge a small percentage of the settlement we recover. Talk to us for more details regarding the exact percentage charged for each situation.

What Happens If My Workers’ Comp Claim is Disputed or Denied?

Insurance companies want to dispute and even deny valid claims because it saves them money. Workers who find their workers’ compensation claims disputed or denied can lodge an Application for Mediation or Hearing. Don’t sit back as insurance companies deny the benefits you deserve. Challenging any unfair dispute or denial is always a good idea, so your legal rights are fully protected.

How Our Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Can Help You

Goodman Acker has experienced workers’ compensation lawyers who give advice and represent Michigan workers who have been hurt or killed on the job. We help injured employees with the following legal issues:

• Filing a workers’ compensation claim
• Workers’ comp appeals when insurers deny/dispute your claim
• Social Security Disability.

From reporting an incident and filing a notice of injury to the conclusion of your Grand Rapids workers’ compensation claim, we will fight relentlessly to recover the benefits you are owed under Michigan law.

Talk to an Experienced Workers’ Compensation Lawyer at Goodman Acker

Nobody goes to work in the morning expecting to be injured on the job, though some occupations are more dangerous than others. In Michigan, as in other states, the workers’ compensation system provides important protections for employees hurt in the workplace while carrying out their official duties.

The system, also known as workers’ comp, establishes compensation levels for you if you get hurt or sick at work, and it requires those payments either from your employer or its insurance company, according to the state’s workers’ compensation regulations.

While that gives peace of mind, experience shows that successfully getting workers’ compensation payments is not easy. It requires a lot of determination to fill out the required paperwork and establish the proper documentation for compensation, as well as a lot of patience if you need to go to court to resolve disputes.

We are here to help you through every step of the workers’ compensation process in Michigan. Our goal is to get you the full benefits you deserve.

LEGALLY REVIEWED BY BARRY J. GOODMAN

Barry J. Goodman has devoted his professional life to keeping courthouse doors open for victims seeking justice. Always a tireless advocate for his own clients, Goodman sees his responsibility as a Detroit personal injury attorney in a broader sense as well. [ Attorney Bio ]